Photoshop Elements 11 All-in-One For Dummies

Chapter 2: Choosing Color Modes and File Formats

In This Chapter

Using color modes

Converting images to different color modes

Working with file formats

Working with version sets

Regardless of what output medium you prepare your files for, you have to consider color mode and file format. The most common color mode for photos taken with a digital camera is RGB; you use it to prepare color files for printing on your desktop color printer or for sending to photo- service centers.

You can also use color modes other than RGB (red, green, blue) — bitmap or grayscale, for example. If you start with an RGB color image and want to convert to a different color mode, you have menu options for doing precisely that. Photoshop Elements uses an algorithm (a mathematical formula) to convert pixels from one mode to another. In some cases, the conversion that’s made via a menu command produces good results; in other cases, you can use some different options for converting modes.

In this chapter, we introduce the modes that are available in Elements and explain how to convert from RGB to the mode of ...